Not So Cliche
by magi.genie
Summary: Merlin is a struggling but geeky student who really hates Bio but really wants to be a doctor. Arthur is a jock & isn't sure what he wants to do in life. They're paired together for a project and figure it out. Merthur/JOEYotp
1. Chapter 1

_Ok sadly, i do not own merlin or any of the affiliated characters :( bbc does  
__:( i also don't own anything other than any origional characters that are yet to come, any recognizable(or perhaps unrecognizable but still have the name in resemblence) to a known character, i don't own. _

beta..cuz i fail at writing :P omg she's going to kill me for that. thanks to writing2death.

_._

_Oh my god, Arthur is hot! _Gwen thought. Then she looked down at her nail she was trying to buff into an actual straight line - it wasn't working. This helped her tune our her teacher Mr. Crazy-if-he-thinks-we-are-listening-too-this-stuff (schwann) who was trying to teach her about myelin sheath cells, whatever those were (diagram to come, she was sure).

Arthur was at least taking notes but Gwen just could not get her nail to file into a straight line. If it didn't work out she wouldn't have a nail anymore because she would have filed it off. She was getting really annoyed. She should condition her hands more and her knees because really, they were just really dry and summer was coming soon. She wasn't vain, she just didn't want to miss swimsuit season because she neglected her knees. Yeah, right!

"Shouldn't you be taking notes?" Freya whispered and shook her head disapprovingly - it was only the best friend's job. Then she turned to look at what Gwen was doing. "Oh, no, you can't, you have to get that nail fixed Hun. You can borrow mine after.

"Do you even get any of this?" Freya reached out to poke Arthur in the back with her pencil.

"Of course I do. Why don't you just listen more clearly instead of talking all the time?"

Mr. Schwann dropped his pointer stick signaling Arthur to turn back around, his cheeks, neck and delicious jaw line were a pale red in blush all the way up to the tips of his ears and everyone could see. Arthur slowly formed a face-palm by squishing his perfect nose into his hand while making a raspberry noise. He only tried to hide the blushing with the the face-palm which everyone laughed at, including Gwen - he turned around to see. Clearly his whispering had been a little louder than intended.

As soon as everyone was back to work the three of them went back to talking. "I could teach some of it to you if you want? You know, later? Are your parents home?"

"Yes, but we could just go over to Gwen's; no one's ever there. Right, Gwen? Your dad and your mom are running the kids all over the place?" Freya nudged Gwen with her elbow this sent Gwen's file grinding into her nail, a piece suddenly chipping right off. This sent what was left of her nail sailing right towards Arthur's eye. It was a disaster.

Arthur whipped his head back in surprise just in time to hit Mr. Schwann in the chest as he was now standing over all of them. The entire room was watching now. "You may go to the office now, Mr. Pendragon, to have that looked at."

"Oh I don't really need to, I'm sure it's ok," Arthur said smiling back at the girls.

"Yes, I think you do, that seems like a serious injury. Plus you need to call your parents and tell them that you have detention."

"No! I can't have detention. I have practice." Arthur burst out looking up at Mr. Schwann.

"Fine, I'll give you a break but you had better win that game. You should still go have that looked at, Arthur," Mr. Schwann said indulgingly and said enthusiastically, "Break!" and he threw up his hand for a high-five.

"Great. I hope to see you at that game Mr. Schwann," Arthur said returning the high-five and with a smile he left the room.

"You two, I cannot stand this constant confrontation! Both of you need to go to the office as well, you will be calling your parents and telling then you'll be late. You have detention."

"Oh, but we have practice too, Mr. Schwann," Freya smiled, pointing her pen at Gwen then to herself.

"I know you do but they don't need you to win and this way you'll have more time to learn the material. You won't even need Arthur to help you." He pointed to the door as they packed their things, "and I'll take that file Gwen, if you don't mind."

She handed it over as they bustled out of the room. Once they were in the hall she pulled a new one out and started to re-file the nail.

.

If you saw her out on the street on a weekend with her family, you wouldn't think of Gwen as the all-American cheerleader. Gwen was a coloured girl- that sounds so 50's 'coloured'. Gwen was black- a beautiful, almost milk chocolate, coloured girl with small eyes and high cheek bones which were not defined enough for the ponytail she always wore. It made her look even more out of place. The difference was, that when you saw her walking down the hall in school, wearing just enough blush on her cheeks to make them stand out, in a mini-skirt or on a game day when she wore her red and white cheer uniform, she looked like every other cheerleader; she fit in. But there was always something that kept her pushing for more.

.

When Gwen and Freya sauntered into the office, Arthur was already there, he was turning to leave. They blocked the doorway stopping him. "We need to use the phone to call home," Gwen said over Arthurs shoulder to the secretary. All the office personnel knew, well, they knew all of their names - and numbers - off by heart, so she started to dial.

"So you get out of detention and we get to hang out with Mr. Should-Pay-Attention-To-His-Own-Business-And-Not-Make-Me-Have-Detention instead of hanging out with Arthur tonight." Gwen said, gazing up at Arthur with faux attitude trying to get his sympathy but still look cute.

"Well maybe we can hang out after the game, I can um, help you with your homework? You know, to make up for it?" Arthur flirted.

Arthur touched Gwen's hand and took the phone from her other. "Hi, my name is Arthur Pendragon. Yes, I am on the football team." There was a pause as Arthur listened to Gwen's mother on the other end. "No, I had no idea she talks about me all the time," he laughed into the phone. With a smile he looked at Gwen as her cheeks blushed, but he was still touching her hand.

_I could puke,_ Freya thought, only looking down at her shoes and rolling her eyes.

"I am really sorry but I got Gwen into a little bit of trouble and now she has detention after school. I hope I didn't get her in to too much trouble with you?" Arthur was still looking at Gwen as he spoke but his face had melted into a soothing smile. His smooth talk and high status had done it again. He had melted the hearts of Gwen's parents too. "I was also looking for a favour of you. Do you think I could ask such a thing?" There was another pause but Arthur kept smiling. "How do you feel about Gwen coming out with me after the game this Friday? I promise to have her home at whatever hour you believe to be suitable. Yes, a decent hour I'll have her home for sure. Yes, that should be great. Thank you. Do you still need to talk to Gwen? Ok, well you have good afternoon. I will see you at the game right? Yes, see you there!" He smiled warmly again Gwen melted and turned to Freya who was still staring at her shoes.

Freya thought about it as they were heading back. Arthur and Gwen went at a faster pace, high on looking into each other's eyes, excited. Freya hesitated but followed them slowly. She stared at their backs and rolled her eyes. So the jock liked the cheerleader. It was so cliché, too cliché.

.

"All set to learn now students?" Mr. Schwann asked as Arthur, Gwen and Freya shuffled back to their desks. "Gwen, I'll take that file now." She handed it over and sat down. "Now, let me get you caught up on the work you missed." He dragged a chair up to their desks, "we're working on a project. Arthur, you are partners with Merlin; he'll explain it to you. Girls, here's the sheet if you have any questions, ask. Do your work now please. I don't want to have to send you back to the office!" he smiled and went back to his bench.

Arthur sat up tall and stretched his neck to look around the class. He saw a few rows over sitting alone, was the skinny boy with short, dark hair- kind of reminding him of Harry Potter's hair, but less messy and just scruffy, less uncontrollable, though- he was slouched over his desk. Arthur grabbed the sheet Mr. Schwann has given him and slowly walked around the rows of desks to the one where Merlin was sitting. As Arthur made his way over, he could see that on Merlin's desk, was a page already completely blue from writing. Stretching out his finger hesitantly and poking Merlin where his head showed most. Merlin did not stir. Arthur curled up his finger again and with two short thrusts, rapped his knuckles against the same part of Merlin's head.

"Yes?" His mousy voice, higher than Arthur's own and went very well with Merlin's large, protruding ears, crawling from beneath his bent head.

.

"Keep your head up or else they'll just ram right into you every chance they get! Keep that ball under you're grip and don't let go."

The coach was being really rough with them surprising it was the practice before a game "Ok boys, it's three now. Go shower and go home. But I want you back here before Six. Game at Seven! Arthur! A word? Arthur, you better be good out there. Everyone is ready to get you down. You're our only hope. I heard about today in class, good job getting out of it. If I ever hear anything else, you will-as much as it pains me to say- have to sit out a game. And oh the laps you will run, you will know every blade of grass from here to eternity. Am I understood?"

"Yes Sir, sorry Sir." Arthur turned and rolled his eyes walking toward the showers.

.

_Three unread messages, _said Arthur's cell phone when he came to get dressed. He picked it up and flipped it open to check them. They were all from an unknown number.

Arthur was dead tired and there was no one else in the locker room, so this was turning more to look like one of those creepy horror movies, where in the hunky jock dies first leaving a tail of blood for the other's to find and a piercing scream echoing in the condensation of soap, sweat and steam. Arthur needed to stop watching horror movies, and thinking so highly of himself - the bad guys never liked that. That, and eating pizza before bed because that's just generally frowned upon.

He opened the first text.

**Arthur, I got your number from Freya -Merlin.**

And the second one.

**Due to the mediocrity of most newer cell phones I have to use more than one message to say what I want.**

And finally the third one, the totally warranted paranoia was wearing off now.

**Mine's a new cell phone. We need to meet. Message me back.**

All of them appeared to be sent right after another. And one could assume that they were all from Merlin, though it didn't say. Arthur added the number into his contacts under 'bio ass' with no period. He snapped his phone shut, resolving to text Merlin back when he had at least put pants on. No sooner did he set down the phone did it start to buzz. This time it was a text message from 'bio ass'. Quickly pulling up his shorts then jeans, he grabbed up the buzzing phone.

The message read:

**I just saw a bunch of footballers walking across the parking lot. Coming over.**

Another:

**Don't move I live across the street.**

Arthur sighed and grabbed his loose t-shirt. As soon as his head was through the hole though, another alert went off. This time when he looked down and saw 'bio ass', Arthur wanted to hurl his phone across the room into the toilet. He set a reminder in his phone to kill Freya the next time he saw her (it's not like anyone would miss her, so annoying) before even looking at the text.

This one said:

**Second thought- come over here. Cross the parking lot I'm straight ahead waiting.**

Since when did the geeks tell him what to do?

As Arthur crossed the parking lot, he looked at the clock on his phone. It had been a half hour, if he was too long at Merlin's he would not be able to go home before having to straight right back to the school. Merlin had definitely better not make him late.

He hadn't even noticed that there were even houses back here. By 'houses', Arthur didn't really mean 'houses' in the typical sense. They were lo income, rent-to-own type developments. They were very ugly, but on good sized plots of land. Across the street, Arthur could see Merlin. He was sitting on a bench in the front lawn head down. Ugh, why were geeks so childish and submissive? They were weak.

"Why do you keep texting me? You have no right. We don't know each other. What do you need?" Arthur yelled as he strode crossed the street and up to the slumped over body staring down at Merlin's dark head.

"I have every right. I'm not going to do this project all by myself. Do you even know what it's about?" Merlin continued to stare at his phone, texting.

"The project? That's what this is all about?"

"That's what this is about. What did you think?"

Arthur felt a buzzing, in his hand, from his phone. He opened it to find text, from 'Bio Ass', it read:

**Our project is a debate (you're con).**

Another:

**The statement you ask? "Life-prolonging medicines and techniques are ultimately weakening our gene pool."**

His fingers must detach from his hand or fly or something when writing these to get them done so fast:

**I know you forgot. -.- **


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N is here now :)_

_omg. i did it again.. i might just have to go to like shame jail or something.. magi ..stop talking please...*ok*  
im confused easily... dont worry about it. _

_anyway :) thanks to writing2death for beta :) love you._

* * *

"I did not forget" Arthur angrily shot back. "I can't stay here any longer, I have to go."

The ebb and flow of their conversation transitioning back to real life. AThere=s a game tonight -with people who don=t find something wrong with anything I do let alone one single thing. Arthur turned away before he could even correct that incoherent sentence. The way Merlin knew what Arthur was thinking was almost crazy. It was creepy; Arthur didn't like it one bit. The flustered boy ran away.

**I****ll never let you forget the truth.**

The ambiguous text was sent by the infamous "bio ass".

The partnership had started off rough. It was an unlikely friendship. It could pick up, but it probably wouldn't.

Arthur: the guy; the jock who had every card up his sleeve and every girl wanting to get down his pants. He had the world in his hands - school, girls, life was just perfect for him. Arthur stayed in his own social group. That's the way it had always been, that's the way it should stay. There was never a reason for him to leave it. He had everything he wanted, people practically bowed down to him. Stupid teachers they had their role to play too. They shouldn't be messing with the order of things.

Merlin: the geek; he just couldn't get rid of that label. He wasn't even particularly smart but as long as he could remember, he wanted to be a doctor. Yes, a doctor. A doctor who could not for the life of him get his head around biology - yes, that sounded logical. He sounded like that elf from the old Rudolf special, the one who couldn't make toys and had always wanted to be a dentist. Did he become a dentist in the end? Is it lame to watch those specials when it is not winter? Anyway, those type of things tended to rub off on other kids and give him a name at school- you know how kids are. He was compelled through an illogical lust. It was such that a want, a need to help people. Being a doctor, he could heal people, he could save them; bring them back from the brink of death. A complex soul, with many twists and turns unknown to those without such a wise, old order.

Arthur did run way, back to school parking lot, jumped in, and started up his mustang. The whole humiliating conversation hadn't taken as long as he thought - it was not even 3:30. What time did he have to be back to school? 6:00, oh yes that's right. So if he left right now, maybe he could hook up with some people for chili fries at the pub and still have time to get his gear.

_FOOD. Now? Pub? _

Arthur ran through his contact list picking virtually everyone who might want to, he loved a big crowed of loyal subjects at his beck and call.

Lance text back almost immediately:

**Sure! But we cannot be late to get back for the game. **

Arthur replied:

_ETA 5 mins. Do you need me to pick you up?_

Lance:

**I'm already here, hurry you're ass up. **

Arthur easily found a parking spot and strolled into the pub. There was always a parking spot for a mustang, that's part of the reason why he liked his car so much, that and it was like riding with a whole lot of horse under his legs that could go _really _fast. Lance was already sitting at the bar like they usually did unless here was a big group, then they all grabbed tables and pushed them together. But since no one had answered his texts, the bar would do for now.

The bartender waltzed up to their spot and ran a rag over the counter. "What can I get for you?"

"Just some fries for now, maybe we'll come back after we win the game and pig out."

"Yeah, right, well good luck." And with a skeptical eye, the bartender went back into the kitchens.

"He's right you know, we aren't as good this year and those black knights are crazy, like they play with armor on. I don't know how we can beat them."

"Are you being serious? You have me. That's all you have to worry about." Was Arthur losing his touch, had he not noticed some looseness in the ranks? He didn't have to prove himself, did he?

Arthur's phone started buzzing on the bar and he looked down to see that he got another text; it was from Gwen.

**Can't come. Dad says too close to game. See you after tho :)**

This bothered Arthur for a little while, and then the fries came. While Lance and Arthur stuffed their faces with fries, he replied a quick text, but didn't want to waste any time before Lance ate them all.

**See you there :)**

Yes, the smiley face emoticon was not usual his style but he just thought it was suitable in this situation; Gwen was worth the extra second and one less fry…well it was really more like eight the way teen age boys ate. Arthur sat for a moment thinking about Gwen just because he could until Lance poked his cheek with a ketchup covered fry. Arthur was sufficiently awoken from his day dream.

Soon, the fries were gone. They didn't order any more but sat in silence for a while processing just how much carbs and grease they has eaten.

"Well I have to go get my gear from my house. Meet you there?" Arthur turned to Lance.

"Yeah, sure." Lance turned around on the stool and hopped off.

Arthur stepped into the foyer of his house, a note written hastily on a sticky note from his dad was left on the mirror above the table where Arthur left his keys, their informal message board, Arthur ripped it off. _Left for the game, grab your stuff. It's on the stairs and hurry up. I need you to lead the warm- up, the team needs you to take leadership, responsibility at a time like this_. It was signed Coach. Arthur crumpled up the note in his fist, he looked toward the stairs. All his stuff was neatly piled on the bottom step, but not by his dad, it had been the maid, Arthur knew it. He grabbed it anyway and loaded it into his trunk. He went back inside and hit the blinking message button.

"Three new messages," it blinked in red accompanied by a computer animated voice. "First message," _beep._ "Hi, it's Merna," the maid, "Arthur I cleaned your jersey and shorts and sprayed down your gear, they should be on the stairs. I hope you have a great game, can't make it today but tell me how it went on Monday. Go team!" She was adorable, she took care of Arthur and he had certain affection for her because of it.

"Thanks," Arthur said under his breath.

"Second message," _beep._ "Hi, Arthur, it's Sophia—from the other night." Oh, right the other night, a wild time he and Lance had gone to get ice cream and she had thought he was flirting with her when he asked for a Delicious Rumble- a kind of shake at the place where _she_ worked. Maybe she was new? Or just really weird, but then again it wasn't the first time a girl had fallen head over heels at the first sight of him. He deleted the message because of Gwen it wasn't the thing a potential girl friend ought to hear- or his dad for that matter. But then, once again, it wasn't the first time a message like that had been left on his machine, it was all a misunderstanding- a had to be there situation- usually.

"Third message," _beep. - Click - Beep._ There was no message. Hmm, it could be a myriad of things- none of which Arthur had time to deal with at the moment. Who waits all the way until the answering machine, listens to the message and doesn't leave a message? Arthur looked at his watch, 5: 30, it read. He should get going. The mystery could get solved another time. Maybe he should change his message, Arthur thought as he turned pulling the door behind him and locking it with the large, chunky sound of metal hitting metal.

In his car, Arthur heard his baby purr as he turned the ignition and a large puff of air as he put on the air conditioning. Arthur cruised down the road and pulled a wheelie into the school parking lot. Even though minimal people were actually there, they were either not there yet because the game didn't start for a while or already warming up such as the other players and the cheerleaders. Arthur had to make his appearance known as he swaggered to the back of his car and popped the trunk. It was all about appearances. He lifted all his gear in one trip and made his way to the locker room. No one else was there - it was too early yet. So he changed and grabbed his helmet and the large bag of footballs and took them to the field. From a distance, he could see his father.

Pacing the other end of the field was the coach. The coach, that's what he was. A man solitarily made to use his team to win, to fight the opposing team and thus be the best. In the entire land that overlooked their competing district, the coach had to shape his boys to be the best. They needed to defend him, defend the school and come home winners. Most were happy to fight for him, but some had been less than respectable and honorable during the games, and off the field. Sometimes he wasn't sure which side he was fighting on; winning or keeping his players in line. A lot of the time, it was his son who led the disobedience, playing childish pranks that lead to wars with other schools. He needed to live up to the role he was in; it was his duty to conduct himself in such a manner that would be suitable for everyone. But would a child ever listen to a father?

Soon Arthur saw his father heading back, he made his way slowly, and conveying the whole field and it was like a ritual. Arthur slouched on the bench thinking over warm ups and waiting for the rest of the time to show up. Where was Lance? Arthur stood up partly only to remember that he left his phone with his stuff; he had been planning on texting Lance to see what was taking him. Oh well, just an awkward silence would loom.

"Hello Arthur," or not. His father was still quite a bit way but some how Arthur had made it into his focus.

"Good evening Coach, everything look good out there?" Arthur almost shouted to his father.

"Yes, as long as I can trust all my players, it will be a fine night to defeat the Black Knights and Camelot High will continue victorious."

"That's exactly what we were hoping for." Arthur said in faux excitement. He really didn't care what happened, he just wanted this night to be over. He wanted peace. Arthur turned so he could lie back on the bench with his feet planted into the turf and his hands on his chest. Not exactly the most relaxing place but he'd done it tons of times before.

Soon everyone started arriving. Arthur lead drills in the field while the cheerleaders stood in formation off to the side. Most of the players came on time. But when the whistle blew, Lance was still no where to be found. Since everyone had left their phones in the locker room because there was no room in their uniform, no one could call him and they had to start without him. The stands filled and the coach watched, pacing behind the benches, as it all unfolded. The game turned out well, not perfectly but they won by 7 to 1. They could have done better.

"You could have done better. What is wrong with you? You need to tighten up on defense. Don't think I'll let any of this go by our next practice. Where was Lance, Arthur, any explanation? Any words at all? Speak boy." The Coach was furious.

"I don't know where he is. I saw him before the game but then he left to go pick up his stuff. I don't know why you're so mad. We won the game." Arthur hung his head back down, all the boys had their heads hung, shame lingering upon them. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Gwen. She was looking right at him, moving away from the edge of the bundle of hugs coming from the girls side. Arthur shook his head at her, signaling her to wait a little longer.

"Arthur, everyone, when one player is missing, it has the ability to bring the whole team down. We are just that; a team. We have to live up to the respect and dignity of that name. This 'win' was neither. It was spotty footwork, clumsy passing and ridiculous mishaps. You can do better, I know. Someone find Lance and tell him to come see me. Dismissed."

Arthur knew the 'someone' was him; he made his way quickly to the locker room. Arthur shook out all his clothes looking for his cell phone, finally it dropped out on the floor. He looked up Lance in his contacts and sent him a text.

_Where the hell are you?_

Then one to Gwen:

_I need to have a shower, change, and meet you in the parking lot in 20 mins? _

Arthur put his phone away and grabbed his towel. Finally he could relax.


	3. Chapter 3

**ok. **  
**i didnt say this last chapter ..but i still dont own merlin.. blast.**

**beta still by writing2death who took time from her busy writing for me :)**

**umm so id idnt do what i promised..and i feel kinda bad about it. **  
**we still dont know what has happened to lance.  
im really sorry that my chapters are so short. **  
**but the next chapter is half done.. so and that one is talking about lance.. and oddly not arthur so much id ont know what has gotten into me. **

**review. cuz you love me.**  
**and ill try to get back on track soon. **

* * *

Arthur got out of the shower feeling both refreshed and excited. He had a date with Gwen tonight- so what ever Lance had gotten into didn't even matter. He could discipline him in the morning, or worse, let his father loose on him. Arthur dressed in the button up shirt he had brought as well as slacks. He hadn't really put too much effort into it and he wasn't sure if Gwen had had enough time to get dressed up. He didn't really tell her an attire. They would probably just go to the pub anyway. He had to - Lance they might come back. More people might be there too. It could be a casual thing. But still, he should offer Gwen the chance to change if she wanted. He could drive her home.

They should have come up with a specific plan. Now he wasn't sure what was going to happen. He looked at his cell phone to make sure Gwen hadn't text messaged him. She hadn't, so maybe she hadn't thought of it either. No one had messaged Arthur. Lance was going to get it from two ends - himself and his father. Arthur knew the coach was still not pleased and he would be looking upon him to take out the problems of the team on the missing player.

Lance had said that he would meet Arthur at the game, right? It was not like Lance to stand up the team. He was a strong player - in fact, his life was the game. Lance came to every practice. They stood by one another in the game defending against the enemy team. What had happened to him?

Arthur remembered one time.

_A ball was coming right at Arthur's head and he couldn't move because someone had him pinned to the ground. Lance came running down the field like there was no tomorrow, his every stride filled with intention. And stepped in the way feet in front of Arthur and let the ball bounce off his chest. _

_He fell to the ground after that. The wind was knocked right out of him. Arthur called for the coach. Everyone came running and circled around the injured Lance there would not have been enough space for him to breathe, even if he could. _

_Arthur finally managed to struggle free of his attacker and ran over to the mob. _

"_Back up folks, give him some room." Arthur started pushing people aside. He grabbed hold of Lance's shoulders and made him sit up. From there Lance was able to breathe steadily. _

They put Lance on the bench and the game continued without him.

It was not a big thing, but it was a thing. Arthur was always there for Lance just as Lance had been there for him.

But tonight, Arthur had a date and he didn't need to think about it anymore. Nothing could have happened to Lance, his best friend, Arthur wasn't there to save him.

"_Well I have to go get my gear from my house. Meet you there?" Arthur turned to Lance. _

"_Yeah, sure." Lance turned around on the stool and hopped off._

That was the last Arthur had seen of him.

Arthur headed out to his car to find Gwen in a stunning yellow dress. She was bent over looking into the mirror checking her make up when she saw him coming, her dress twirling slightly slower than her whiplashing spin, and she smiled. Gwen looked down at herself to make sure she was presentable and smoothed out her full skirted dress making it straight again. She had taken her hair down from the pony tail all the cheerleaders wore on game nights and pretty much any other time. She had replaced it with a red head band to push her hair away from her face, she smoothed that down too, but the curls would not stay in the places she put them. It was a wonderful imperfection.

"Are you ready for this?" Arthur casually reached out and took Gwen's hand, entwining it in his own then took her bag off her shoulder, running his finger down the length of her arm. He lifted their hands over both their heads and pulled Gwen along around the car. They made a quick stop at the trunk and he tucked away both their bags. Then he resumed his lead to the passenger side door, unlocking and opening it swiftly. Arthur let Gwen slide in gracefully, still watching her skirt ruffle - it was so yellow and so beautiful - before leaning in to whisper in her ear, so close he could feel her cheeks blush as he brushed his lips on it, "You are beautiful." He let his lips curve up into a smile as he pulled back. A smile ran up Gwen's blushing cheeks, too.

-Wow, Arthur is a pro. I did not see this coming, I knew he was smooth, but this, this is too much. Am I ready for what? If there is more of this around the evening, Arthur might not be who I thought he was, a selfish, self-centered jerk. But then again, he did talk so sweetly to my parents I thought it was all just an act. Watch yourself honey or you'll get swept off your feet.-

Gwen turned her head to see Arthur disappearing out of the corner of her eye and back to look out the driver's side window seeing him reappear. He paused for a moment before unlocking his own door to reach in his pocket deeply and rummage for his cell phone. He hit some buttons checking his messages but dropped it back in his pocket with frustrated look on his face. He unlocked his door and slid into his seat much like Gwen had just moment's before. She leaned over and jokingly said

"You're beautiful," just to ease some of the tension. Arthur looked over, surprised, and laughed. Then he stopped and put the key in the ignition, hands on the wheel and stopped what he was doing. Then he laughed again, then he looked over at her and stared at her, laughing, she laughed back. They sat there laughing at each other for a few moments. It was nice.

Once the car got started, finally, Gwen reached down by her feet where she had left her purse and undid the clip which held it together and pulled out her own cell phone. There were 8 new text messages, one from practically every one on the squad. Normally, she wouldn't be the go-to guy for information, but tonight, she had a date with Arthur- and he was.

Three were from Freya:

**Did Arthur know anything about Lance?**

**Where is he?**

**O ya hows the date going?**

One from Patricia C:

**Isn't Arthur Deamy?**

Clearly she wasn't the strongest person in the pyramid.

Two from Patricia M:

**Lance CAN'T die. **

**I'll Kill myself.**

One from Monica:

**Did you get those texts from PM? Its ok I took the knife way. O.o**

One more from Freya:

**Ok last one** (lies) **text** **me as soon as you know anything ppl are going crazy**

Gwen was not sure whether to ask about Lance or not. Everyone had been buzzing about it in the locker room after the game. With a coach like theirs, no one missed a game- ever. No one knew where Lance was, and he wasn't giving it up. In fact, no one she knew had been able to reach him at all.

Next to Arthur, the person the team most respected was.. well it was Leon, but Lance had to be a close second. He was really nice to everyone, by nice Gwen meant a little less flirty than Arthur, who was a lot flirty.

They went to the pub. Either of them was a little over dressed for the occasion, but it was cute. They didn't need to wait to be seated but opted for a booth instead of the bar. In a booth, they could face each other, and they were in the front, far away from the pool tables, games, and bars the kids hung out at. It wasn't that Arthur didn't want to show her off, it was that he wanted to be alone with her.

Arthur waited for Gwen to slide comfortably into her side before he went back to get the menus.

"You've been here before right?" Arthur was sure she had, but thought it best to ask. They theoretically ran in the same circles, but you know how it is. The guys stayed on the guys side and the girls stood in stupid little circles trying not to make it obvious that they were staring at and picking out the best guys. Gwen wasn't like that though, Freya spied on her behalf, without her permission. Arthur didn't even know that much about Gwen.

"Yes, I've been here many times. I'm sure not as much as you, but yes, many times."

"You don't come here all the time like the other's do," Arthur referenced the crowed in the back gesturing with a pointed thumb.

"Why- Oh, Hi, Jessica," Arthur abruptly stopped his question when he saw a tall leggy waitress who's apron fell further down her leg than the skirt she was wearing and who's frilly pink bra was visible through her tight, white waitress uniform. His eyes fell down her then shot right back up- to her eyes.

"Hi, Arthur, long time no see, eh?" She was being facetious, Arthur had seen her when he had been in with Lance.

"Yeah, sure Jessica, have you seen Lance at all today?" Arthur leaned to the edge of the table eagerly.

"Um, yeah, Arthur weren't you here with him a couple of hours ago?" She looked at him as if he needed to give his head a shake.

"No, after that, I mean. You haven't seen him, not at all?" Arthur sunk back in his chair and kicked his feet out. This left food caught on Gwen's until she moved her leg from the path. Maybe they should have done this another time. Neither of them knew how preoccupied the other would have been in finding Lance.

"No, guess not. How did the game go? Did you win?" Jessica was smiling now, it bothered Gwen.

"Yes, we won, seven-zip." Gwen stared up at her and grit her teeth.

"Yay, free fries on the house. I know how much you like those fries, Arthur." Arthur only nodded. "Can I get you anything to drink?" She said with her smile.

"We'll both just start with water," Gwen was not sure they would even be staying.

She remembered another night much like this. Everyone was out and having a good time here at the pub. Somehow Arthur had bribed the bartender to close down the rest of the place and sell them drinks.

_Gwen had gotten so drunk, so had Freya, so had most of the girls. Everyone was running around doing crazy stuff and falling down. Lance was standing in the corner holding onto a pool cue. He was being very quiet and staying away from all their childishness. _

_Suddenly Freya and Patricia C had grabbed her arms and they ran over to where Lance was standing. They were all giggling. Lance started to blush as he stared into the pool cue apparently trying to burn a hold in it for something to distract them. He had no such luck and his thumb nail was wearing the felt tip through rubbing back and forth over it so much. Freya grabbed it out of his hand and started to do baton twirling tricks with it. Except the stick was too long and didn't have evenly weighted ends. So as she spun around to show them her talent, she let the end come up right under Lance's nose. Gwen knew it was broken by the large crunch sound it made and the large amount of blood that came pouring out. Lance rand to the bathroom. Gwen and Patricia C tried to follow but he slammed the door behind him so they went back to the stunned Freya. _

"_I didn't mean to do it! Oh My God. What do you think he's going to do to me?" Freya had started freaking out and ran from the pub dropping the cue and grabbing her purse on the way." The equally stunned Gwen and Patricia C stared at each other for a long while until Patricia C started giggling, then headed back to the hallway where the bathroom was, still giggling. Gwen managed to get the giggling girl to compose herself just in time for Lance to step out of the washroom. Lance was whipping his mouth with his hand and his eyes trailed down to the floor. He had cleaned up the blood flow but there were still some stains around his face. He walked away slowly and didn't look back. The girls watched as he grabbed his jacket silently from the edge of the pool table_. Lance was not one to intentionally make a mountain out a mole hill, he was a quiet, respectful person.

Gwen was not having a very good time on this date so when Freya interrupted her day dream with a call, she picked up the phone, and walked out of the booth.

"Thank God you called. This date SUCKS. Arthur is... Arthur is preoccupied, and I don't think it all has to do with Lance."

"What? You guys were so cute I almost barfed." Freya sounded shocked. And she was shocked - she thought the date would go well. Gwen was a nice girl who always wanted to fit in and Arthur was the ticket there. "Has he said anything about Lance? Any word at all? No one's gotten so much as a text." Freya sounded actually concerned, though Gwen was not sure why. Not knowing where Lance was only made one less person for Freya to tease, manipulate and generally hate behind their back.

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell you later. Do you think you could come pick me up? I think we better finish this date later, or never. I'm at the pub," Gwen wasn't actually sure, who knows if this was just an off night, who knew Arthur could have off nights.

"Is that going to be ok with your dad? Didn't Arthur tell your parents that he would drop you home?" Freya thought back only a couple hours, everything had been going way too swimmingly. Then something bad happened and ruined it all. Another cliché seemed like it.

"It's going to have to be ok, I'm not sitting here in silence all night, I don't care how cool Arthur is." Gwen was resolved, at least about the going home part.

"Fine, give me like two minutes." Freya whined hanging up her end.

Gwen took the phone away from her ear and pressed the end button. She stared at the phone for a good two minutes and thought about the events of the night. What utter drama.

When she got back, she found Arthur leaning against the table holding her purse. He was staring down at it and flipping the clip back and forth, letting the lower half of the opening to fall onto his stomach and flicking it back up with his thumbs. He stopped suddenly as he saw Gwen's feet come into the frame of his vision. He looked up at her with a crumpled, scared face that forgave the whole night.

"I just got word that Lance is in the hospital. Do you want to go see him or should I drop you around your house?" Gwen realized then, it was the face of a boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders to which something had happened and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no flirt he could render or bribe he could pay to make things alright with the best friend he had been mad at for missing a silly game.

"Yeah, I'll go with you." Gwen reached out and grabbed his hand, and as he had done to her, entwined their fingers together. They stood there for a moment, both staring at the hands, and back up at the other then back down to the hands. Then Arthur took the first step toward the door, leading Gwen by the hand out to his car.


	4. Chapter 4

**oo - that's right.. im still bold.  
anyway**

**i still don't own merlin ;(**

**umm this chapter comes like at the end of the game/the beginning of the end.. and ends when the last chapter did.. it looks like we've gotten no where..but really.. we're furthur.**

**umm thanks to my beta :) ilu writing2death who is working me into her very busy works while she tries to keep up with her own writing :)  
- i may or may not ( may ) take a long time with this next chapter.. i just want to work on some other stuff../ am not sure how i want to go about the next chapter.. but there will be some gwen insight moments hopefully. less arthur :/ and im not sure about merlin prolly some of that. i love how this was supposed to be a merlin story and i've written so much more with arthur .. hmm bradley. **

* * *

Merlin was taking his evening walk just before dinner. Taking a walk before dinner is better for digestion and for metabolism. But then again eating at four was good for that too- and for sleep. But Merlin was not a sixty year old man living in Florida, so the walk was enough. Actually he didn't even want to take a walk. So he wasn't. Merlin was shuffling along the sidewalk down his street. It was Gaius who had ordered the walk and there might have been an ulterior motive behind it, seeing as Merlin had been hanging around the house all day giving Gaius only short moment of time to himself. But Merlin didn't care- he had his cell phone.

As he walked, Merlin looked at his cell phone. He scrolled through his contacts. He didn't really talk to any of them and they didn't talk to him- unless they had to. They were all using each other connecting the cliques in the different levels of the high school hierarchy. He was not allowed to the other ones- unless they deemed to let him. Freya was like that, she spared her little bits of electronic information in her possession. It was an amazing token of acquaintance- Arthur's cell phone number, the highest of authorities in the hierarchy. Having Arthur's cell phone number and having him as a partner for this project was just too much.

There's a funny thing about a cell phone. It can be an amazing link to the outside world. But there needs to be someone attached to the other end. Like those string and can phones children played with over short distances. If there was no one making the vibrations go through then no one could hear it on the other end. So to pick up the phone and make a call was not the problem, it was the connection that someone else would have to make with him that mattered.

It was not the contacts that he had that really mattered. It was who he had to talk to. It was the people and a social contract he signed everyday by entering his high school and they themselves said he couldn't. Those who stood higher on the ladder of social hierarchy dictated what those on the bottom rungscould do. It was that which kept Merlin from talking to them. It was whoever delivered the other end of the social contract that Merlin, and thus the person who Merlin had as a contact would have, incase of national emergency... or if there was to be a party with way to much booze. Yeah, like that would happen

There were always going to be some people who could reach out of their surroundings, out to someone. It was something Freya had done for Merlin. He needed Arthur's number. He needed to get his attention if he was ever going to do well on this debate. And Merlin needed to do well on this debate. He needed this mark. And he was not going to allow Arthur to stand in his way. So he would take whatever measures to get sometimes with him.

_"Hello?"_

Merlin had always felt secluded, in his own little world. Having someone shoved into it was disruptive and disturbing, having them both not want to be there, in the situation, was just wrong. They should choose who they want to be with, everyone should. Not be with, be with- you know, just be with. But there was so much in the way. There was no room from casual conversation- for that small transitory connection.

Sometimes there is no time for the little things in life. It seems that life swooshes over them with the big things. Things like tragedy and love and all the landmark things that shift the time into present to past. The things that move not only one moment to the next, but one year to the next, the things that make you look back and think about what you missed, or loved about a year, a moment in time. Like when you look back on high school and see the graduation from year to year. Those years took a long time to get through, but went by in a flash. And as much as you might not think they did, they changed you. Like when you look around at the people you had classes with and think about who your friend's are

_"Someone? ... __Is someone out there?"_

Merlin looked around, he could hear a voice, but no one was there.

"Please... help me."

Then he saw the skid marks. A car had somehow managed to go from the street to over the side walk and was now upside down in the pathetic excuse for a 'forest' that the developers had designed. It was a space that was about the size of a house with 4 or 5 trees, one less now that a car had taken it over.

"Hello?" Merlin shouted in the direction of the upturned car. He was hesitant that anyone may be still be living in the car and he did not want to see a dead body. He took a few steps further into what might have been the depths of hell.

"Hello?" he said again, this time even less confidently.

"Help!" A low moan was issued past the wreckage. Merlin was still frightened but able to take the last few steps. Standing right out side the driver's seat door he found a man, it was Lance! With a lot of blood all over his face and hands, leaking through his torn shirt, he was barely conscious laying there. "Merlin?" the man let a frantic question slip from his lips. "Merlin, you have to help me!" Merlin quickly turned away, gripped his head in his hands and turned around. The world was spinning. He stuck his head as close to between his knees as he could trying to stop the spinning "Merlin?" Lance spoke again.

Merlin and Lance had never talked. It was part of that social contract that held them both to their rungs of the ladder of social hierarchy.

"Yes, I'll be ok in a moment."

"Merlin, I need help." Merlin looked up to see once again the horrific state they found themselves in.

"I know, I KNOW, I know, I know. I just... I just need a minute." Merlin let the words spill out of his mouth like love-sick puppy on coke barking frantically and freaking out Freaking out was not helpful, he knew that, but it was all he could think of to do. Finally Merlin was able to flip open his cell phone and dial those three easy numbers- it wasn't so easy when it was you though.

"You have reached emergency medical services, please state the nature of your emergency," an almost mechanical voice spoke though the receiver.

"Ambulance, I need an ambulance!" Merlin screamed into the phone he suddenly had so much energy, he couldn't help but jump from one foot to the other.

"To what address?" Merlin frantically looked around. He was near his house, but it all looked so abnormal. He ran out of the wood to find the street sign.

"Corner of 46th and Dunconburry. In the little wood, please hurry." Merlin was going crazy. He hung up the phone. He could barely breathe, his throat was burning and his eyes watering. He ran back to Lance.

"They're on their way." Merlin stuck his head in the door. "Lance, talk to me. Stay awake". Merlin was working off the cuff. It may have been different if this person was a complete stranger. What made it awkward was that Merlin knew Lance. He was on the football team, they went to same school. They had had a few classes together but nothing other than that. Still Merlin felt an overwhelming knowledgeable pull towards helping Lance. In fact, Merlin didn't have anything against Lance, if he wasn't a jock, they might have been able to talk to at each other-but who knew?

Soon the ambulance came, its sirens flashing, and Merlin left Lance to go flag them down. He stood out of the way. It took a while to get him out of the car- not because it was badly damaged, but because they were worried about neck injuries. Merlin did stay out of the way, but in a safe enough distance that Lance could look over at him periodically while the EMT guys went to work with various equipments.

Merlin did not ride in the ambulance but sent Lance on his way with the sense of courage still surging though his body. His fingertips shaking and his head buzzing, he felt weak all over and just needed to sit down. He had done well. There had been a slight freak out, but that was to be expected. He had regained his composer and got the job done.

Merlin pulled out his cell phone again. He stared at it, contemplating what to do. Should he call Gaius and tell him why he had been out so long? Should, could, would he call Arthur? Lance was his best friend, maybe Arthur didn't even know that he was missing. There was a game tonight, so that was unlikely. Still, shouldn't someone tell him what was going on? And Merlin was the only one who knew what was going on. He scrolled through his contacts, again. It wasn't far to go, Arthur was the first one. He paused for a moment, again, and then pressed the call button.

"Hello," Arthur had hastily flipped open his cell phone without looking at the caller ID. He turned it around and saw 'bio ass' and scoffed. "What do you want?" There was a pause on the other side of the line then the mumbling began.

"— 'o" Said a shallow voice, rather quickly.

"I said 'what do you what?'. The least you could do is stop mumbling- and answer me and sniveling little—" Arthur was abruptly stopped by this:

* * *

"ARTHUR! Stop. I have something to tell you. But you know what. You're not worth my time." Arthur actually heard the phone hang up on the other and took his own phone away from his ear and looked at it. Now the world was upside down _and_ he had no idea what was going on.

There was just a little of that adrenaline was left to make the strength to allow an outburst something to stop his mumbling and get Arthur to hear him. He then abruptly stood up tall and marched back to the house with the determined face of a four year old on a mission to run away from the parent who took away their ball. He started to run as soon as he got to his front yard and kept running until he was able to slam the door behind him. He kicked it and kicked until all that was left for him to stop. He faintly slid down the height of the door until he was left sobbing on the walk-in mat. Merlin was a rush of emotions, adrenaline and weakness it fuelled his power and his drain. His tears were flowing faithfully following one after another not knowing where they were going or what they were doing or that they had absolutely not meaning. They just continued until they were stopped by a man with a wooden spoon and the embarrassment he gave to the boy they were escaping from.

"What is going on here?" a disturbed Gaius asked, hearing the slamming and walking into the hallway. "What are you doing denting and scraping my door and making so much noise? And, my dear boy, what took you so long on your walk?" Gaius was waving around the wooden spoon he had in his hand, at times coming so close to Merlin's head as to threaten to hit him.

"Umm, I can't answer that right now, but if you give me a minute I'll do my best." Merlin said hastily, jumping up in his usual manner and racing up the stairs.

"Arthur- while you are not worth it- Lance is your best friend and you have the right to know that he was in a serious car accident tonight. He has been taken to the hospital." Merlin very nearly made it all sound like one word. But Arthur heard 'Lance', 'car accident' and 'hospital'.

"Thank you," he said before pulling the phone away from his ear and letting it fall shut, ending the conversation. He saw Jessica and grabbed her by the arm. "We'll have to take those fries another time. We're leaving." She scoffed at Arthur and flipped her hair into his face but continued on her way back to the kitchen with her load of dirty dishes.

He brushed away the feeling of the hair that had disappeared with its owner as he shifted out of the booth. He looked outside to seen Gwen chattering away intensely at her phone. He didn't want to disturb her just yet. He had made the night worse enough as it was. So he walked over to her side of the booth and grabbed up her purse. It was small and round with a clasp that clipped together at the top. It was gold, just the right colour to go with her beautiful dress- they fit perfectly together, just like the clasp. The chain fell almost all the way down to his feet and swung slowly as he settled back to lean on the table.

So Arthur waited until Gwen hung up the phone and came back inside. He saw her walking in and waited for her to come closer. He was still playing with the clasp on her purse. Finally Arthur looked up at Gwen and didn't try to hide how scared he was.

"I just got word that Lance is in the hospital. Do you want to go see him or should I drop you around your house? He said trying to show some consideration for his short comings that night. But Gwen had already forgiven him.

Gwen realized then, it was the face of a boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders to which something had happened and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no flirt he could render or bribe he could pay to make things alright with the best friend he had been mad at for missing a silly game.

"Yeah, I'll go with you," they took hands as they had done before and went out to Arthur's car.


	5. Chapter 5

**Urrgg.. my life.  
this story just makes me so blahhhh...  
constistancy.. clearly NOT my strong suit.**

**first off the bane of my existance XD  
i still don't own merlin. **

**im so self concious about it because it has gone CRAZY  
i don't remember what i wanted it to be in the beginning. **

**once again gwen is some random person.. but atleast we know what's going on with her. **

**back to school next chapter.. you know the basis of the story  
maybe ?**

**anyway  
thanks to my beta -writing2death :) luv ya **

**lets get some reviews on the story.. tell me what you think..  
plot  
story telling abilities  
writing style  
TELL ME what you love and what you don't  
i wanna know it all. **

* * *

Sitting in the parking lot of the hospital, Arthur was unable to leave. He had pulled into the lot, he had turned off the engine but still he sat. He was waiting. He was waiting for something which would show him it was going to be ok. Because it had to be ok, everything had to be ok. His best friend had to be ok.

Gwen just sat there. Nothing like this had ever happened to her. Now she was about to enter the aftermath of a traumatic event with Arthur. Everyone would hear about it and everyone would know about it. She could tell the tales of that day and everyone could know it was first hand knowledge. It was a day no one would ever forget. She was being given the chance to look everyone in the eye and tell them that she was there. Even though she had always had those rights, being a cheerleader. But when she was out of the uniform, when she was just the girl, Gwen knew she didn't fit in like the rest of them did. But now, tonight, she was out on a date with Arthur. She was the one Arthur had chosen. She had been chosen to be there. If it hadn't been so tragic, it might have been a proud moment for her.

But it was tragic, wasn't it? She was being rather self- centered, wasn't she? She looked over at Arthur. His hand was still on the door and another on the gear shift. His stare was blank and his head limp. She reached over touched the person sitting beside her. She wasn't even sure if it was for the consolation she had hoped. Maybe it was to prove something, her worth perhaps? But either way it got his attention and he looked away from the horn. He looked at her. So she smiled. What else could she do?

What could she do with him? She dropped her hand and looked to the ground. She got out of the car then and walked around the front. She was going to wait for Arthur.

Gwen pulled out her cell. She started pressing the menu keys, just pressing them. But then she came across her contact list. She kept pressing the menu keys but an idea stuck her. No one even knew where Lance was yet. Who had even told Arthur where Lance was?

She text Freya:

**Do you know where Lance is?**

Then she flipped her phone shut waiting for a reply and turned around to see what Arthur was doing. He was still sitting there in his drivers' seat he was looking to the passenger seat. The seat she had just left. He hadn't moved. Was he going to move? Or should she get back in the car, he could drive away. He could drop her off home and they could come back tomorrow. He could drop her off home and come back without her. No, they had to stay. She had to get him out of that car. Why hadn't he moved? He didn't even know what happened to Lance, did he? She didn't know anything.

Her cell phone started buzzing so she flipped it open to see a reply from Freya:

**No? **

Gwen wanted to make sure:

**Has anyone?**

Freya:

**No? Are you still on your date? What are you doing? **

Gwen:

**It doesn't matter. Has anyone heard anything about Lance?**

Freya:

**I'm waiting for a reply. Calm down. Tell me what's going on.**

Gwen:

**Tell me if you hear ANYTHING.**

NO ONE knew anything. Maybe she should go home. She gave a huff and leaned her elbows onto the hood of the car. She didn't want to look back at the unmoving child behind the wheel. But it's ok though because she needed to get some things set in order now before he could come out. If anything cool was going to happen, people needed to see her going into the hospital with Arthur, comforting him. She needed to be the one by his side, maybe even as he entered Lance's room.

OR _Oh, My God! Why hadn't I thought of this? Why use Arthur when I can use Lance? Lance might not be the most popular, but he's the head line news for today. I can be the first one to go in I can be the one to tell Arthur what's going on. I can spot a nurse and ask her to tell me where he is, and then she would know I was there. And I could take pictures on my phone of how Lance looks. Then I could be the first to know and the first one to show. I could send the pictures to everyone. Then they would all come to me to find out what's going on. I could offer Arthur help. I could be of use to Arthur. I could one- up everyone. Arthur can't even move. _

She turned around and leaned against the car again, this time on her stomach and held her head in her cupped hands propped up by her elbows. She looked into the windshield at Arthur. He had both his hands back on his wheel and was staring at the windshield. He was not staring at her. He couldn't have been, she waved her hand at his face he did not respond. He was not staring at any one- or anything. This baby was catatonic over his best friend.

In her pocket, there was a small nudge, and another, and another as her phone vibrated from her leg to the hood of the car. She slid down and pulled out her phone. It was still buzzing. The caller I.D. said 'Dad'. Really? He had to call now?

"Hi Dad," Gwen put the phone up to her ear.

"Gwen, do you know what time it is?" Gwen looked at the screen it read, 9:37.

"Dad it's not even ten o'clock. What's the problem?"

"How long have you been out with this boy? What have you been doing? Where on Earth are you?"

"Dad, Mom said I could go out. That's what I'm doing Dad, I'm out. We went to a restaurant and now we're, well.. Okay Dad, don't freak out. Before I tell you anything, it has nothing to do with me. But, Dad, we're at the Hospital."

"You're what? What are you doing at the Hospital?" Her dad was going crazy. She wasn't a baby.

"I told you Dad, don't freak out. Please. We're at the hospital because Lance, Arthur's best friend is here. He was missing from the game and no one knew where he was. But now, I do. I mean we do. But I think we're it. I'm waiting for conformation. But Dad, I could be the first one to see him. I could tell everyone where he is. And I could do it by the side of the coolest boy in school."

"The coolest boy in school that can't even get you home at a decent hour. I can't believe you would do this Gwen. I always thought you were a good girl. But you're using these people, aren't you?"

"Dad, it's not even ten o'clock. It's not as if the world is going to end. It's still a decent hour and there's some one in the hospital." Gwen's phone started buzzing in the palm of her hand. It must be a text message. The text message she had been waiting for? "Dad, I have to go. I'll call you back. I promise. Okay. Bye." She hung up. Just like that. Then she started clicking around the menu buttons to find her text message inbox. There were two texts now.

One from Freya:

**No one knows anything about Lance. Can you please tell me what's going on now?**

The other from Merlin:

**I told Freya that I didn't know anything. But I lied. **

She replied to Merlin:

**What do you know?**

What had Freya said to people? She asked that too.

**What did you ask people?**

Freya replied first:

**What do you want from me? I sent a message to everyone in my contacts asking if they knew anything about Lance yet. God**

Gwen:

**And?**

Freya:

**Everyone said No?**

**What is going on? **

So, everyone said they don't know anything about Lance. Is that what Merlin was lying about?

Gwen:

**Even Merlin?**

Freya:

**Yes. I said everyone. **

Ok, so that was probably what Merlin was talking about then. Gwen text him back to make sure.

**Merlin what did you lie about?**

_Okay. No one knows about Lance. Freya is mad at me. But wasn't she mad at me for stealing Arthur anyway? And who cares what Merlin thinks. I'm going inside whether Arthur is coming or not._ Gwen started to pace in front of the car. She was flipping her cell phone open and shut again, it was her nervous habit. She kept flipping and kept walking meanwhile looking back at Arthur in the car every couple steps. She was flipping so much so that she almost missed the reply from Merlin.

**Lance is at the Hospital. I saw him get into an ambulance. **

He didn't need to tell her how he knew that or anything. She knew that she was not going to be the first person to see Lance. But Merlin was, and no one cared what Merlin did so that didn't matter. She walked back to the car still looking down at her cell phone. She looked up when she go to her seat. Arthur was still staring at the window. But one of his hands was on the wheel now while the other one was on the gear shift.

"I think we need to go in. No one knows what's going on with Lance. You're his best friend you should be the first to see him. Then you can text everyone and they can come see him." She had to butter him up, ice him out, and get him to come inside. But if he was going to take forever, she knew now that she could go in alone.

"Get out. Get out. Get out of my car. You go see him if you're so worried about it. Stop bothering me. Stop texting, stop pacing, and stop everything. Just get out of my car now. You can be the first to see him. You can be the first to text everyone. And you can tell them I left you here. I'll be back in a while." Gwen grabbed her purse and stumbled out of the car and backed away. He took a sharp turn toward her so he could yell out the window, "Make sure his parents know what's going on." He drove away with only a hint of her yellow dress in the rear view mirror.

Gwen stomped off to the door. She was faced with overwhelming guilt but knew she had to do this if she was ever going to get the attention she deserved. Attention not because she was a cheerleader, but because something she had done as an individual. She went up to the nurses' station.

"Hello. My name is Gwen, I'm a friend of Lance Lots'. I was wondering where his room was."

"Sorry Gwen but it's after visiting hours. You'll have to come back tomorrow." Oh, no!

"NO! I can't wait that long. I mean, he doesn't have anyone in there with him does he? Have his parents been called?" The nurse checked her clipboard.

"Um no, they have not been reached."

"He's only a teenager. I think it would good for him to see a friendly face." Gwen smiled at the nurse and used a completely persuasive head tilt to convey her innocence.

"Well, okay. But only for a minute dear, he's had a rather rough day. Follow me." The nurse came out from behind the desk. "What did you say your name was? Gwen? Well Gwen, I should warn you, Lance was in a car accident. He has two broken ribs, a broken leg, multiple lacerations and a concussion. He is in and out of consciousness. They have him on several medications- he might not even realize you are here."

"Well at least someone was" Gwen smiled at the nurse as they paused outside his door. Gwen looked at the nurse's name tag. 'Quinn' it said. "Thank you Quinn, I really appreciate your time." Then she smiled again politely excusing herself into Lance's room.

Gwen stood walked over to where she could see the hospital bed. It was in the middle of the room, she had seen enough hospital shows to know that he only had an IV connected to the back of his hand. It was probably administering the medications nurse Quinn had mentioned and additional fluids he would need while on bed rest.

Gwen stood there at the side of his bed in awe. She almost felt bad for him he was stiffly lying there in the bed. She was about to exploit his pain. Use him, that's what she was going to do and for her own benefit. But what else could she do? She had gone this far. So she stepped back to take one of the length of him clearly in a hospital bed. Her phone made the _quack_ noise she had programmed then the picture appeared. She missed the tips of his hoisted toes but he was clearly bandaged and clearly unconscious on her grainy little screen. For good measure she moved to the end of the bed and snapped one from that angle with her standing in front. Her phone made the _quack _noise again and she turned her head to the door making sure Quinn wasn't going to come spying_. _That was good enough. She attached on to each of two very opportunistic texts:

**Visiting hours are over. And poor Lance is asleep. **

**No one is here to visit. Not even his best friend Arthur. **

She sent both texts to every one on her contact list. It might show up as multiple texts being so long but thank god for unlimited text plans.

**

* * *

**

**Come out your window and meet me round the side of your house. **

**Why?**

**Why not?**

**5 mins.**

Arthur could not get into the hospital to see his best friend. What if something had happened. All he needed from this little person was a simple explanation and conformation that he was not going into anything bad.

"What do you want?" Merlin rounded the corner of his house and walked down the grassy bit to where Arthur was leaning against his car.

"I want to get something straight." He looked at Merlin. "You can't just tell me something like 'go to the hospital' – you don't say anything else and on top of it you are an ass about it." Arthur's eyes were frantically searching for a practical joke in the eyes of his partner as he rambled.

"Like I told you Lance was in a car accident. It looked pretty serious. Why are you here instead of there?"

"Gwen is there."

"What's wrong with Gwen?"

"Everything - she's all wrong. Cheerleaders, they are never who you think they are," Arthur scoffed. "I need something I right**(meant all right instead of I right?)**. I need the truth. I can't go through this alone." Arthur looked down to the ground as he shuffled his feet. He looked really very vulnerable.

"Arthur, Lance has some possibly serious problems for now. It's nothing that won't heal in time. Everything will be fine then you'll go back to having a best friend. You should go see him in the morning." A buzzing came from both their pockets and their movements mirrored one another as they each reached to get their cell phones. Gwen's texts had reached their destination.

"What is this then?" Arthur held out his cell phone to Merlin.

"I got the same one, well two. Lance in the hospital. Is this Gwen taking the picture? What is she doing there?" Merlin nodded his head up and down looking at the picture and looking to Arthur.

Arthur sent Gwen a reply text:

**What the hell do you think you are doing? Who are you? You are not the girl I was with tonight. **

Gwen was quick to reply:

**No, I am not. You were opportunity. I took you. The date was fun we should do that again sometime. **

Arthur felt betrayed. How could Gwen- the nice girl- do this to him? He had.. "Oh my god! It's late and her parents don't know where she is." He looked to his cell phone but he didn't know Gwen's parents number so he text Freya:

**What's Gwen's home number?**

**5556426692**

"Hello?" Arthur dialed the number frantically. How could he have been so careless? He promised to have her home at a decent time.

"Hi, this is Arthur. I am the boy who took Gwen out tonight. There was a situation- then some general miscommunication- then I left her at the..well I left her at the hospital. But I swear she's not hurt. She's not there to be treated. She's there seeing someone. But I had to leave- I can't really explain it but I hope to get the chance to speak to you in person sometime." It wasn't smooth, it wasn't calm, and he wasn't even sure it was understandable.

"Arthur? This is Gwen's mom. We talked to Gwen already. Hopefully we can all work out the situation sooner or later. Why don't you come over for tea on Sunday? Around 3:00?"

"Umm, sure. I'll be there. Thanks again I'm really sorry. But can you go get Gwen from the hospital. I think she would be done there now."

"Thank you Arthur. See you soon." Arthur pressed the 'end call' button then shut down his phone. That was enough drama for one day then he turned to Merlin.

"I'm really sorry about all of this. I don't even know what's going on. Guess I'll figure it out along the way. I think I'll go home now; see you Monday in biology. We'll talk then about this project. Thanks for reminding me." Arthur held up his cell phone and moved it from side to side waving his hand several times. Then he turned his back and got into his car and drove off to be rid of this night.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am such and utterly a total jerk**  
**im soo sorry that it took me OVER 2 months to update...**  
**excuses added here.. which is a rather short list and pretty much just ends with i had this done a while ago and got lazy.**

**i wanted to make it longer but i was told 'OOOHH. I really like the ending, actually :D Leave it. Deff leave it.' so this is what you get. **

**i am starting university tomorrow so i dont know what im going to do in the terms of writing ..but well figure that out since this story is like never going to flipping end as i cannot deal with timeline.**

**thanks so my amazing beta you're so awesome writing2death LOVE YOU!**

**ummm..ya still dont own this stuff **  
**but yay s3 merlin out:) so excited for this season :) i hope it doesnt suck**

* * *

The tea moved along rather briskly. Iignored Gwen the entire time. Her mother seemed to notice, but not to care, her father seemed like he was not completely sure why any of us was there. Her mother was actually all smiles and giggles and 'have some more tea. Have more biscuits, whatever-marry my daughter?- eat up.' She was almost disturbingly cute. Gwen's brother, Robert, had a Nintendo DS that he kept on mute but distracted me because of all the concentration he was giving it. Her father kept grunting and glaring and taking turns staring with one eyebrow cocked high at either Gwen, Gwen's mother or me. It was kinda creepy.

"I am so sorry, but I cannot stay any longer." Arthur took one last sip of very well sugared and milk diluted tea and stood. Gwen's mother stood quickly as well and quivering like a leaf, leaned over the coffee table and lined her stringy arms around Arthur's strong frame. "I am… really. Um, sorry."

She hesitantly let go and looked down at her still-seated family. She grabbed her husband by the forearm and pulled him up and Arthur held out his hand to shake. Then he waved good bye to Gwen who only rolled her eyes. Then he stumbled past the creepy wall of creepy Gwen's now-standing parents had formed with the holding and the smiling and the glaring. After he managed to get through, he all but ran out the door waving, bye, all the while.

Arthur got out to his car and hastily drove away. How could someone like that come from such an amazing family? Her mother was just what he needed- impressively cheery and yet totally naïve but something only to be taken in small doses. He would accept another invitation to tea if he didn't think it was kind of leading such a wonderful person on. Gwen was really really destructive. Just sitting there like that making me sweat. I hate her. How could I have ever allowed myself to be teased by her? Her pretty face, was so, was so distracting. She's like a cat, with those eyes and everyone knows cats are dangerous villains. She gets in your head. She makes you think what she wants you to thing- yes that's it. Arthur had no chance against a manipulator like that. Why had he not seen it sooner?

**BREAK**

Around ten o'clock in the morning Arthur had lazily rolled over in his sleep to peep an eye at his bed side table. His alarm clock was not set to go off because it was Saturday but the blinking red numbers were still there. As he looked at them in the clumsy haze of almost awake the thought they looked more like the blinking reminders of the minutes blinking down to his death. He had never been more dramatic and foolish- he was even more so than that time he got wasted and got the team to participate in a 'jousting completion' on the field- at midnight. He was still staring at the clock and not getting up. He was staring at the clock and not even moving just breathing. Arthur kept staring at the clock of death, staring and staring and as he stared into the blazing numbers, he awoke and he realized it was undeniably morning. Then he rolled over onto his back and let his arms flip casually to his side. Today was the day he was going to see Lance. It was Lance, who was his friend, Lance who had to be ok, even though today Arthur was going to see him in the hospital.

"Today I am going to see Lance, in the hospital. This morning, that means now. Get up you old fool. Shower. Think." Arthur whined and put his hands simultaneously over his eyes as he rolled again away from the clock. Speaking to yourself is never a good sign. Yes, he was so far past crazy that he had begun to talk to himself. Then he stretched his arms up over his head, gripping he head board and arching his toes straight. In a fluid motion Arthur ripped the sheets away from his body and hopped out of bed. He looked at himself in his full length mirror, only wearing a pair of dark blue, silk boxers which served as his only ever sleep wear. His eyes were swollen from the night he had tossing and turning. He was still exhausted. But it was morning so he grabbed the towel he always threw carefully over the mirror and threw it just as carelessly over his shoulder as he headed to his en-suite.

After his shower, Arthur perfectly puffed his hair so it looked as though nothing had even been done to it. But in reality he just didn't want it to look like the over greased mess that hair usually looks like when it is combed wet. When it was perfect he looked away, the looked back one more time at the mirror. Usually this would be the time he would look deep into the mirror and think 'you handsome devil, you', but not today. He did not turn back, he just walked out of the room.

Luckily, he had a house keeper, or else his clothes would be all over the floor like any other respectable teenaged boy. But no - they were in the drawers, sorted intoshirts and socks and pants, like they should be. So he easily picked out a comfortable enough ensemble before descending to the kitchen.

"Good morning," Arthur said as soon as he noticed he was not alone. A dark haired woman, not much older than Arthur was in the room as well, her back was too him, but he knew at once who it was. "Morgana, what are you doing here?"

"I am here… to make breakfast. I'm having eggs, would you like some?"

"Yes, but what are you going to do to them? Not poison I hope?"

"No, I'm not a child like you Arthur. Now what kind would you like? I can make anything."

"Boiled?"

"Umm, no, I don't think I want to make those. They take too long. How about scrambled? That's what I'm having."

"No, I don't like scrambled."

"Look, do you want these eggs or not? I'm doing you a favour here, you're going to eat whatever I dish out. Jesus H. Christ, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself. And I don't want to hear another word about it. Now sit down. I'm making scrambled eggs." She smiled and let her cascade of dark hair flow over her shoulder.

"Whatever" Arthur found a chair and sat down. It was only 10:20 he had load of time before the morning was over. How long could eating breakfast take, even with Morgana?

A LONG- FREAKING- TIME. THAT'S HOW LONG. Arthur had been looking down at his phone almost continuously for the last hour. It was now closer to 11:20. Morgana had gone threw 1 dozen eggs and two frying pans- because apparently the first one was defective. Finally the meal came. Burnt toast on the side of whatever was left of the burnt-to-a-crisp-eggs Morgana had not hand to throw out. She looked down at the pan that she was serving out of.

"None for me of course," she said trying to hide the distaste. "This is a breakfast for you." She brought the plate over and sat next to him. She watched his every move for the next 7 minutes and thirty-four seconds making sure he ate every bite. Arthur glared hard back at her. When he was done, he pushed the plate as far away from him as he could manage. The plates were death carriers too.

"Now, are you really going to tell me why you are here, or can I leave?" Arthur folded his napkin from his lap and set it carefully back onto the table.

"I am here. I am here, that's all that matters. And I get a whole week to…spend time with my favourite cousin." She smiled.

"Right, well, I have to go now. You should clean up the kitchen before my dad gets back. Merna isn't back until Monday." He turned toward the front door and chuckled to himself.

_The hospital was white. Ew, white. And repetitive, it was all the same hallway with a different coloured strip down the middle. And it was so demanding. 'Follow the red line, follow the blue line. It will take you where you want to go.' What if I want to follow the green line and still get to the same place? What if I need to walk threw some walls to do it? Should that be so hard? What if I want to be a little argumentative when things aren't going perfect in my life for once? Am I falling apart? Well I guess it's a good thing I'm in a hospital, that's for sure, they can just drag me off along the orange line to the mental wing in a nice white straight jacket. But they didn't today I walked inside the lines and caused no trouble. I walked down the stupid line and found the equally stupid nurses' station and asked the abundantly more stupid nurse where Lance was._

"Room 305, you can go right in." She flipped her chart book closed and looked up at Arthur tilting her head in the right direction. Arthur followed her lead down a small hallway. His palms were sweaty, his step was unsure, but his back was straight. He found the right room and found his footing. He took a deep breath and rounded the corner.

"Where have you been? We had a game over 15 hours ago. I- no wait- we, your team, have been waiting all this time for our most valuable player. And all this time you've been off…god knows where with these shenanigans!" Arthur gestured too the injuries along Lance's body.

"How are you doing Arthur?" Lance broke the tension with a smile. Arthur chuckled back lending his hand out for a shake. Arthur had to reach further as Lance's dexterity could not meet him in the middle. Then he went over to the corner where a cushioned chair awaited him. Arthur pulled the chair right up to the side of the bed.

"I am doing – well I'm doing better than you. If that's answer enough for you, I'm no lying in a hospital bed. Did someone tell your parents that you are here? I know they go out of town on the weekends. Have you had many visitors? I'm not sure I would want any. I mean, have you looked at yourself lately? You look, you look bad man. How are you feeling?" Arthur looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm doing fine, man. Yeah, my mom called. She said that she knew I would be safe in the hospital but they couldn't get back right away. So I'm just hanging out. Sorry I missed the game. No one has told me, how did you do?"

"Oh, that, well we WON." Arthur said with a smile. "We all missed you though. And some people may or may not have had a fit that you were not there. I'm not going to mention any names." Arthur looked over to Lance, nodded his head with a jerk of his chin and a roll of his eyes.

"Really, so it was just _your dad_ that was worried you might lose with out me. No one else was worried eh?"

"I wasn't finished. Would you just let me finish?" He coughed out the word _me _meaningfully_._ "Now I'm finished. Arthur flashed another brilliant smile. "It's really nice out today," he said tilting his head to the sun shining through the window. "When can you get out of here?"

"Not until they can get me off the pain medication. I'm on some pretty strong stuff for all the broken bones- so they tell me. I'm not drooling am I?"

"No, but you're slurring more than were that night at the cabin. You were so drunk." Arthur tore his head away from the window. "I've got a lot on my mind. I just wanted to drop in and make sure you were ok. I expect you to be up and kicking it on the field as soon as possible. We need you back out there buddy."

"Did you get that text from Gwen? Is that what's on your mind, Arthur?"

"Yes, I did get that text from Gwen. If, of course, you do mean Gwen the backstabbing-jerk-face, if that's the Gwen you mean then yes, she is on my mind."

"So, now you are going to stay and tell me what I missed last night up until the point where she violated my vulnerable body with her mobile."

"This would be a good time to have some shots to toast with."

"True-that."

"So when are you getting out of here?"

"They are saying a week or two. I have to wait for some of the bones to heal a bit so I can put weight on it."

"We'll miss you at practice but I'll tell coach how you're doing. I have to get out of here now but I'll come bring you some work soon so you don't fall behind." Arthur lightly reached out with his fist and brushed Lance's chin. Before he turned to leave. "Be good now."


	7. Chapter 7

**mwahhhahaha**  
**yeha..that's right. i finished it within a month. **

**suck on that. innerself/ guilt of not doing as much reading as i should have.**

**anyway. umm this story has been beta'd by the lovely writing2death. **  
**love you so much hunn for helping me out. :) **

**talk to you soon :) review :) tell me what you think. **

**

* * *

**

As Arthur entered the class room, he noticed Merlin. As usual Merlin was sitting on his own. But not as usual, Merlin was frantically waving at Arthur. Quickly looking around to see if anyone had noticed, Arthur strutted over to Merlin's desk.

"What _are_ you doing?" Arthur planted his feet squarely shoulder width apart and rested his hands on his hips, showing his amazing triangle body shape and masculine stature.

Merlin turned back to the open text book and papers all over his desk. Arthur took the seat beside him and set his binder and text book on it. Arthur left them shut. He looked over to Merlin.

"You wouldn't happen to have a pen on you, would you?" Arthur started to pat down his plaid flannel shirt- as if he might actually have one to look for.

"What would you do if everyone didn't always give you what you wanted?" Merlin said as he searched his pencil case for an extra pen.

"I would make them." Arthur gave a knowing smile when Merlin extended a pen toward him but held on to it tightly for a moment, teasing him, before giving Arthur the pen. The cap came off and was left in Merlin's hand. "Fine. You can keep that part." Arthur turned to the front of the room and started to flip the pen around between his index finger and thumb. Merlin tried to go back to work. But the constant flipping of the pen, back and forth, back and forth. It was just too much. He looked over then tried to go back to work. The bell had not rung, he still had time to re-read the section for better clarification but every time he moved his head back to the page, he could feel the pen flipping. It kept flipping and flippping.

"STOP!" Merlin stuck out his hand and hit the pen out of Arthur's hand. It went flying across the room over to the lab benches.

"Oy, what did you do that for?" Arthur said has he maneuvered through the desks to retrieve the pen.

"The pen. You kept flipping it. Have you not go anything better to do?" Merlin started flapping his hands around from his extended arms in an exasperated manner.

At this point people had started to notice. Merlin usually did not say anything in class. This was a drastic change. Arthur turned from side to side trying to find how to minimalize the whispering when Mr. Schwann came in. Arthur sat down and set the pen beside him between their books.

"You know what, little children? I don't care about your Saturday, I don't care about the hangover you and I both has on Sunday morning when our mommies called us to go to church. And I really don't care about your Friday night when you stayed up until 2 A.M. talking to what's- his- face because this is high school my kinder-folk so let's shut up and get down to work." Mr. Schwann set down his briefcase and ripped it open riffling through it to find something. Everyone else turned to the front and found their pens and paper as he whipped up an over head and turned out the lights.

Arthur snapped to attention forgetting his partners' transgression, prepared to write notes til his fingers bleed.

But something stopped him. There was just too much on his mind. So as Mr. Swanns spoke, Arthur daydreamed. He asked himself question after question, trying to figure out what was going on in his life.

But what about it? Who cared who he liked? Who cared who he went out with? If girls were just going to be selfish bitches who needed them? He had his mates. Who needs a girlfriend. Maybe he could just have a girl. There would be lot of those at a party. That was the perfect solution. There was to be a party. Morgana would love to plan that. Plenty of booze and chips to go around and a few beds to go under. Or at least a dimly lit basement.

Arthur pulled his phone out of his pocket and, hiding it under the desk, quickly typed out a message.

**Party at my house after we WIN the next game. Welcome back party for when Lance gets out of the hospital. Be there. Spread the word.**

Then he scrolled through his contacts adding everyone from school. Everyone but Gwen that is. He even sent one to Merlin -and of course Morgana got one too, she needed some heads up. The next game was at the end of the week. Lance would be out of the hospital by then and cheering them on from the sidelines. This was the perfect idea.

Merlin pulled out his cell phone. "You know Arthur, we do have to work on the project. This might not be the most productive means of accomplishing that."

"Oh shit. I totally forgot about the project. Why don't we get together on Sunday? Come to my house around 11:30? We can work then you can stay for supper. My cousin will be there- actually she'll be at the party, maybe you two will hit it off then you can spend more time together at dinner." Did Arthur just set up Merlin and Morgana? Oh, whatever. It was no matter, she would be gone back to her home soon enough. They could never work.

"Is this a set up? Are you trying to bribe me with a pretty girl? Fine, but she better be pretty." Merlin gave Arthur a little smirk.

.

The team ran back to the locker room cheering and whistling; too hyped up to be quiet.

"I cannot believe we won! Did you see that play? We were right on the line!"

"I know! I mean it could have been in or out there. But the ref put it in our side. God. Sometimes they do something right."

"Don't forget party at my house right after. I left the door unlocked in case someone gets there ahead of me."

"Woot! Party at Arthur's. Could this night get any better?" Everyone grabbed their towels and ran to the shower. One by one they finished, dressed in jeans and t-shirts, combed their hair and put on their shoes and left. Arthur was the last to leave.

**Just getting dressed. Go wait by my car. I won't be long.**

He sent the message to Lance because he had promised to give him a ride earlier in the week. Arthur knew it must have been hard for him not to be in the game.

He put on his crimson t-shirt-_Later on when he was less than sober he would remove that shirt and tie it around his neck shouting "I am the captain of the crimson cape," and running around the interior of his house letting all the party goers see._ -He slipped on his stylistically ripped and bleached jeans- the kind that everyone wore and black high tops. He dressed pretty standard but still with a sort of classic style that said he was cool and had money. It was basically how everyone around him dressed as well so it also said that he fit in.

When Arthur had his hair sufficiently puffed and flattened and arranged in his face- but not in his eyes, he left the locker room, grabbed his keys and headed to his car. He saw Lance waiting there in crunches, guess Arthur was giving him a ride. But when he got to the parking lot, he saw a figure across the street. Instinctively he pulled out his cell phone and typed a message.

**Aren't you coming to the party?**

The figure shifted. It was hard to see in the dark but then the pale white face looked up and across the street. Arthur gravitated toward Merlin. Merlin held up his cell phone to signify that he got the text. Arthur smiled and moved closer sitting down beside him on his bench.

"So, aren't you coming to the party?" Arthur reached over to Merlin's cellphone and underlined the words gliding his finger along the screen.

"I was thinking about it. I mean you asked me to. And I wouldn't want to miss meeting your cousin. But it's just.. everyone is going to be there. I don't know about this. Everyone looks down upon me. As if they are better than me. Why do I want to be surrounded by that?" Merlin kept his head down.

"Free booze?" Arthur let out a chuckle. "Come on. There's going to be free booze. Like why else would you even go to a party. I mean that's why I'm going. Plus my cousin has set everything up. She's got so much food you could just stuff yourself with these cheese puff things. But then you could wake up with your mouth covered in orange cheese dust on the carpet of my rec room with a head ache wondering how you let it go that far. Just don't stain my carpet." Arthur wrapped his arm around Merlin. "Just come. You can stay over and I'll drive you back in the morning. Well maybe not the morning..but early after noon. Late after noon at the latest." They both laughed.

"Well maybe I can walk home in enough time to actually come back for our meeting on Sunday." Merlin got up and was followed by Arthur. They moved swiftly to the car. Arthur unlocked the door and got Lance situated in the back then told Merlin he could sit in the back as well.

When they got to Arthur's house the party was already raging. All the lights were on, the lawn was a mess of garbage and people. But they just walked right in. The music coming from the stereo in the living room was loud. Arthur went straight over and turned the knob way down. The last thing he needed was some cops coming to break up the party. He turned around to the sound of a thousand groans. He motioned his hands up in an exasperated way then back to the stereo then he pointed at the door. "It's my way or the highway. If you're going to lounge around my house and drink my beer and eat my food, you're going to turn the music down. I don't want the cops breaking up our party." And everyone shut up.

The next thing Arthur did was go to the kitchen. Merlin and Lance were already there. He hopped up on the counter and held out his hand. Nothing happened. Then he hit Merlin on the shoulder. Merlin didn't notice. "Hello? I need some cheese puffs. Stat."

"What? Oh, sure." Merlin handed him the cheese puffs

"What is the matter now Merlin?"

"Nothing is the matter, Arthur. In case you hadn't noticed, I was having a perfectly lovely time until you showed up and started hitting me."

"Well then, I'll leave you alone." Arthur made to hop down from the counter.

"No. I'm perfectly bored. I don't see Freya. I don't see anyone. I thought you were going to introduce me to your cousin?"

"Oh. So you're not having a perfectly wonderful time now? Well let me give you the grand tour. These parties are pretty much the same." Arthur lead Merlin back to the front hall. He pointed to the stairs. "Do not go upstairs unless you would like to be scared for life. Going downstairs is generally okay, but it's usually a couples thing, it's all people sleeping" Made a large gesture of putting his hand up beside his mouth. "(after they have passed out) and people making out on the couches. I usually hang out in the kitchen, where the keg and food is and everyone just follows me there if they want to see me." They stood in the door way of the living room. "The living room has the stereo so it turns into one big dance party." They made their way back to the kitchen. "And here is the keg." Arthur waved his hands around it.

"Whoo hoo," Merlin took the red plastic cup from Arthur and took tiny sips from it.

"Lets go find Morgana. Actually that's probably going to be a little hard given we did see her before. But maybe she's downstairs."

"Or you could just text her and ask her where she is."

"Oh yeah. Good idea there. I guess." Arthur pulled out his phone and text Morgana. A few seconds later they got a response. "She says she's in the living room. Glaring at all the people who drop chips on the floor." They made their way through the overwhelming amount of people grinding to music with unintelligible lyrics.

"Hello, Morgana." Arthur said as he strut up to the tall beauty standing in the middle of the room. She was in fact glaring at a small person who was on their hands and knees picking up crumbled chip pieces.

"And when you are finished picking them all up go put them in the trash," she said harshly before turning to greet them with a devilish smile. "Who's this Arthur?"

"This is Merlin. He's ..umm. Well he's Merlin. I guess you can find out for yourself." Arthur gave Merlin a rough shove toward Morgana almost making him fall into her.

"Sorry. I'm brittle." Merlin was completely red in his ordinarily white-pale face.

"Well aren't you a cutey." She turned to Arthur. "What is he doing here?" She linked elbows with Merlin and started turning away from the middle of the room.

"It's really loud in here."

"Yes. Well let's all move to the outside."

"But I haven't got a drink." Arthur protested.

"That's okay. We can share." She pulled a silver flask from inside her red-brown leather jacket. The turned around and slid behind the screen door.

"It's cold out here." Arthur complained.

"'It's to loud, it's too cold.' Do you ever not have a problem with something?"

"No." Arthur smiled. "I just like things the way I like them. Give me that flask. I need to warm up"

"Sure. Now get out of here. Your friend and I need to get to know each other better." Arthur took a swig from the flask and handed it back.

"Fine."

.

_What am I doing on the floor? And is this a stain of cheese dust around my mouth? Maybe Arthur should become a psychic on the side. _Merlin sat up and looked around. Beside him was a couch and beside him was a wall. He saw a sleeping Arthur on the couch and moved back to lean up against the wall. _Oh my god. What happened last night? _Merlin tried to retrace the steps of the previous night. He had been outside with Morgana when suddenly she started kissing him. He hadn't had that much to drink but with his heart racing, he was glad he was outside to cool off. He broke the kiss and ran back inside. Back in the kitchen, he was there with Arthur. Arthur didn't notice him right away, something else had his attention.

Merlin remembered what had Arthur's attention that night, it was Lance. Lance was sitting at the kitchen table, his attention was drawn to something else. His gaze was over at the keg but it wasn't the keg he was looking at. It was the person at the keg. Gwen was standing there running some beer into another red cup. When she had finished filling the cup, she headed through the gaze to Lance and sat down beside him.

Arthur has never thought much about his sexuality. Sure he had dated lots of girls. That's just sort of what you do. His dad was the coach. He was the captain of the football team. Everyone looked up to him and all the girls wanted to date him...and touch him and be with him. So he liked girls. They had their uses. But then a cute, fun, good girl would could very well turn into a cute, fun, good girlfriend and then rip your heart out as if it was stuffing from a teddy bear and stop on it like a freaking Mexican hat parade. He had been looking forward to that date but he had never really had hopes for any relationship. No he had no hope for anything. His best friend was in the hospital, he had been betrayed and now, Morgana was back in town. There was a lot of stuff going on around him.

Arthur dropped his head and looked deeply into his half empty cup. He sighed two or three times until he raised his head and shook it. Then he looked straight ahead to Merlin. His face still just as red. Merlin came up beside Arthur and hopped up on the counter.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I..I ran away. And now I can't go back. And now I don't know what to do."

"So once again. You need my help."

"Well I wasn't going to put it that way..."

"Why don't we go up to my room and work on our stupid project?"

"I thought you said that if we went upstairs I would be scared for life."

"I locked my dad's room and my room this morning so I would have a safe place to sleep tonight and my dad wouldn't kill me." He chuckled and sloshed around the contents of his cup.

"Nice plan."

"Well I get those from time to time. So you grab those cheese puffs. I'll refill our drinks and we'll head up there."

"You know what?" Arthur said an hour later after he had gone back downstairs to re-refill their drinks so many times he had to crawl up and down the stairs the last couple times. Still, below, the party raged. "I'm getting rather tired. How are you feeling?"

"I.. I'm..I'm up. I'm UP." Merlin sat up and tried to look at Arthur. "No, I'm really not up." Merlin lay back down and shifted his head to look up at Arthur who was sitting on the bed. As the night had dragged on they had gotten less and less productive. "I am not feeling well. I am feeling very embarrassed."

"Still?" After hours of the same discussion, Arthur was getting a bit sceptical.

"Yes. Still. I cannot believe I ran away."

"Yes you ran away. Get over it."

"But I can't. From now on all she'll think of me as is the runnawayer"

"Well now you know what it's like and you won't run away next time."

"Yeah. I seriously doubt it."

"Well go try it out."

"Okay." Merlin moved upward until he was kneeling beside the bed so he could lean his elbows on it. Quickly Merlin leaned up just a little bit more and kissed Arthur. Then he leaned in a bit more and kissed Arthur some more.

Arthur pulled away after his haze lifted. "Wait. Wait! I didn't mean me! Go to sleep you drunken idiot."


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n HIIII  
SOOOO... while being late (by a year..legit) is not TOTALLY my fault.. i shall take responsibility for my actions. **

** this is the chapter in which.. we actually start to get work done.. umm there was a dream sequence attached to this.. but my beta (freaking wonderful person : writing2death) thought it was too confusing.. and im not gonna lie.. i kinda did too..  
**_but if you want me to put it up.. it's about the kiss.. so..leave a review or personal message and ill think about it as a bonus chapter _

**i still have yet to procure the rights of merlin in anyway .. so i dont own this.. but dont think im not working on it :P **

**there should be more to come soon..but after that.. bhahh i have no idea.  
just so everyone knows.. uni.. is not alllll fun and games. more than it being hard, it's confusing. i love it..but.. i dont. at all.**

**would anyone like if this was up on tumblr/ livejournal/ and other site? cuz i have been thinking about that..but im not sure. ..**_so leave that in a comment as well. _

**_anymore? idk..i loove you all. and i did not abandon you. and anyone waiting for other stories of mine.. should not be waiting too much longer..but idk. im just insane and stuff.. i never do anything but always have a million things to do._**

* * *

When Arthur woke up he looked over to his clock and saw that it was nine a.m. He realized that they had been up there for quite a long time and decided to go downstairs and see what was going on. Arthur was on the bed, his bed, still and Merlin was on the floor, asleep. He had curled up into the fetal position and his hands were under his head with his big mousy ears sticking out.

Arthur smiled to himself. Merlin was so innocent, so alone. Who could be alone like that all the time? It was then that Arthur decided to be friends with Merlin. Despite everything, Arthur couldn't help it, he couldn't leave a man alone like that.

He poked Merlin persistently until he awoke and lifted his head so he could listen. This poking thing was soon becoming a wonderful tool. Arthur smirked.  
"I need to go downstairs and kick out everyone. You're coming with me."

"What? No. I.. I.. sleep..." Merlin put his head back down and proceeded to fall back to sleep. Arthur took this opportunity to use his new found tool again and went about poking Merlin until he was batted way by a thin, pale hand. Unbelievable. How could Merlin be doing that? He had invited the boy into his home and now, now what? Well he couldn't just leave the little mouse here. What if he woke up and did something? What if he found something in Arthur's room? This is why on one was to come into his room. What had he been thinking?

"Get up! Now!" Arthur whispered in the loudest whisper he could manage. At this point Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm and pulled the mouse from their hide-y hole.  
They went down the stairs, ninja style, fast, silent and deadly. They certainly didn't giggle as they almost feel down the last six stairs, that's for sure.

"Okay, okay. Stop. Just wait here for a minute while I go look in the living room. Just stand there. Do not sit down or you will fall asleep." Arthur peered over the railing then went past the hall into the living room. All the lights were on in the lower level and it was easy to survey the land, it was completely empty. While completely empty of people, just about every single thing was out of place. There were no stains on the carpet or couches thanks to the no food in the living room rule but that didn't stop there from being broken CD cases all over and what looked like two sets of the game fifty-two pick up flung about the room. All three of the couches were in a different place than they should be. All the pillows had been grouped together in a sort of fort in the middle of the room. Arthur picked up on of the pillows to see one of the defenders from his team passed out under them. Arthur sighed and looked around the room again. He couldn't find a permanent marker, but he did find a blue pen. With this Arthur wrote 'sucker' on the poor boy's forehead. Then he took a look behind all the couches just to make sure. And went back to get Merlin. Arthur assumed Merlin would have not listened to him and fallen asleep right there on the bottom step. But he didn't, Merlin did not listen to him in not staying put.

"Merlin!" Arthur whispered. "Merlin, where are you, you idiot?" Arthur turned around a few times, not sure where to turn. "Merlin!"  
Suddenly Arthur heard a very obvious clue. A big clatter came from the kitchen. Arthur made his way over there, soon to find Merlin over by the keg.

"It wouldn't move. It's just so heavy." The keg was tipped over. Arthur rolled it out of the way with his foot.

"What are you talking about? This thing is empty. It doesn't weigh anything. Why did you want to move it?"

"I couldn't get up on the counter so I decided to sit at the table."

"Solid choice my friend. Solid," Arthur said having moved the keg. "Now I have to go downstairs are you going to be able to walk down them without falling or should you just sit here?"

"What? Stairs? Really did you take something?" Merlin showed his disgust clearly on is face.

"You know Merlin, this isn't a barrel of laughs and a cherry pie for me." Merlin sighed but showed no sign of movement. "Fine. You stay here. I will go downstairs and make sure everything is alright.

What a deadweight. Arthur made his way down the stairs ducking his head as to not hit the low ceiling wandered into the large rec room. The once pale carpet was now covered in dust, dirt and crisps. There were bodies lying in contorted manners only normal thought of for someone who was seriously injured and if there was blood, Arthur would think so as well. But no, these were just teenagers, just teenagers who had passed out and were too lazy to move. They were for all intents and purposes unconscious to the point that an earthquake could shake the house to the ground and they would stay just as they were.  
Just then, the earthquake occurred. Merlin had decided not to listen to Arthur, 'bout par for the evening. So the half asleep Merlin came barreling down the stairs rolling right in front of Arthur's feet.  
"Yo, Penndragon, Whaddup?" Merlin looked up at the steel of Arthur's blue eyes almost in a child-like manner and smiled. He the proceeded to flail his limbs about, as a turned over turtle might trying to get upright, for several seconds. Arthur just watched. Finally Merlin was vertical again.

"Well looks like everything down here is alright." Not abnormally, all the couches were empty of course the dibs on the couches had been called early on but as the night dragged on, people had fallen more haphazardly into their present condition.

"Guess we should go back upstairs."  
"Did you see what's just happened? You keep having these delusions. You think we can do things that we can't. You can't just force things to go the way you want. You know?"

"Merlin. I do not have time for this. I am so tired I could fall asleep right there."  
"Where?"  
"I don't know I just said it. I wasn't really meaning a specific place." Arthur waved his hand leisurely and turned all the way around.

"Chip?" Merlin flopped himself down on one of the empty leather couches and lifted the bag up from beside him. He rest the bag on his stomach looking in inquiringly. "There's not much in here. All the whole chips are taken." He pulled one of his legs up and let the other swing lazily over the side. Arthur came over and grabbed up the bag. He too looked in but was disinterested. He looked over to couch the Merlin had taken up occupancy on.

"Move." Merlin moved up more into a sitting position and pulled his other foot into a upright fetal position with his arms wrapped around both calves. Merlin, facing Arthur's side with his back at the arm of the chair. Arthur sat down with his legs stretched out onto the ground, one arm on the back of the couch, the other holding the chip bag on the arm of the couch. "So."  
"So… Since we're up, we should go work on our project." Merlin though aloud.  
"I think we can wait a bit, relax," Arthur said, letting his head hit the back of the couch.  
"But we have so much to do."  
"Merlin, don't let him stay here, he won't get any work done." Morgana popped up from behind the couch.

"There cannot possibly be more. Morgana what are you doing? Have you been awake this whole time."

"Yes, someone had to make sure the whole house didn't fall down because of these drunken idoits."

"Oh, really baby, I thought you stayed up because you wanted to be with me." From behind the couch emerged a badly bed headed and shirtless teen. Morgana only looked to him in disgust.

"Okay Merlin , what's left to do?"

"Well I've done a little, but I just don't know how to put it into debate form. I don't really know what I'm doing at all."  
"Oh, I guess we should go look at my class notes." Arthur got the bag of chips and straightened it out the proceeded to pour all the little chip pieces of chips into his mouth like a funnel. This kept him quite for a couple of moments as he let the chips dissolve in his mouth as he pushed them around with his tongue. "You know what Morgana? I think you should go upstairs. You can go to your room and I will see you in the morning."

"Fine. You," she said pointing to the boy behind the couch, "come with me." And she marched up stairs, not looking back. He walked up behind her.  
For a while Merlin and Arthur sat on the couch, just as they had before. Arthur used his tongue to pick the chip mush our of his teeth as much as he could. Merlin stayed in his relaxed fetal position. They were silent and the moments dragged. If either cared, the silence would be agony. But they didn't. Both were comfortable sitting next to one another drifting to sleep. So, just like that, they feel asleep sitting up not touching but so close to one another.

* * *

"Arthur, would you like pancakes?"  
"What?" Arthur found himself drowsy on the couch that he had fallen to sleep on. Morgana had reappeared now.  
"Would you and your friend like some pancakes?" She said ever so slowly as to make fun of him.  
"What? Like you would make them for me. What time is it?"  
"Quarter past ten." Morgana said looking down at her watch. Arthur lift his head off the back of the couch and turned it from side to side rubbing it a little. Merlin was still on the other side of the couch and when Arthur noticed, he put his arm down.

"You know Arthur I never pegged you for a homosexual," Morgana said as a wake up call. The boys had fallen asleep laying down this time on the couch Arthur curled up with his head on the arm, Merlin curled up with his head on Arthur and the two were comfortable.  
"Go away Morgana - this is none of your business," Arthur said, sitting up and making Merlin's face slid off unto the couch cushion. "Why do you have to make everything so hard?"  
"I could ask you the same thing. Now get ready, I have your breakfast ready." Morgana left Merlin and Arthur alone to return upstairs.  
"I guess we better head up then." Merlin said, rolling over and stretching out his legs.  
"Yeah." Arthur said rubbing his eyes then standing up and stretching out his arms. He sighed as he grabbed Merlin's hand to pull him up. "Come on. The day awaits." When they got upstairs, they found their breakfast on the table. There were pancakes and bagels and Muffins, all the carbs they seemed to have in the house. Just enough to rehabilitate their hangover.

"Okay boys, aspirin and water." Morgan put a glass and and a few pills on the table in front of them.  
"I wouldn't eat it. It's probably all poisoned," Arthur said loudly as Morgana walked back to the kitchen. "What is all this Morgana? Why are you being so nice to me." Arthur grabbed a pancake and dipped half of it in the syrup dish, stuffing it in his mouth before turning around to face her swinging his arm over the back banner of the chair. "How long are you planning to stay here?" Arthur raised one eyebrow skeptically before she was able to answer.

"It doesn't matter how long I am planning to say because it has not a thing to do with you, pretty boy. I am planning to stay however long I want. I asked your dad and he suggested I do a few things around the house to ease the transition for you."  
"You asked may dad what? What did you ask my dad?"  
"I asked him if I could stay here."

"I don't have a hangover..." Merlin jumped in "Why don't I have a hangover?"

"Because you are blessed by God as the lowly geek from the planet town of awesome. Morgana, this is stupid. You cannot stay here in my house forever even if you make me breakfast every morning."

"Oh." Merlin was stopped by the sarcastic comment and in the background there grows a raging argument between the cousins. "Do you have a hangover?" Now, though he was just curious, might as well attempt to defuse their argument.

"Could we please just do some goddamn work. Like for the love of God, this project isn't just going to lie about forever, we have to get some work down. Now sit down and tell me everything you have on our debate topic."

Arthur pulled his laptop close and his notes closer. "Here, we can see the diagrams we took in class of just that. Here are the Myelin Sheath cells surrounding the axon ending in the axon terminals – that's where the magic happens. At the terminals there are the nerve synapse… "

"Whoa, whoa, wait. What? Is that what we talked about in class? I never heard any of that. I most certainly thought it was the dendrites that gave the information. Why would they send all the information all the way down the axon just to pass it to the next cell? I don't even see the point of anything off the cell body. Why can't the dendrites just tell the other dendrites to tell other cells?"

"What do you do in class? Just try to block out all of the information?" Arthur gave Merlin a sceptical look.  
"No, it's totally important. If they did that, the cell would blow up. There would all be impulse and no information. It's like… me, as the leader, if I followed my every impulse, no one would trust me. I have to be able to mull about ideas before I can make sure they are something suitable for me to do. What if I just did whatever came to my mind in the middle of a game? I would be running off the field like all the time.  
"But you don't… you do what you're told. You do the best thing to get the ball down the field."

Merlin still wasn't sure if he understood about nerve cells, but he was starting to understand Arthur.

* * *

**wtf is with all the spacing.. i ahve no effing clue..but i have been very scared of big walls of text recently..so.. yeah. it looks much longer than it is, eh**


End file.
